BBC History Magazine

BBC History Magazine aims to shed new light on the past to help you make more sense of the world today. Fascinating stories from contributors are the leading experts in their fields, so whether they're exploring Ancient Egypt, Tudor England or the Second World War, you'll be reading the latest, most thought-provoking historical research. BBC History Magazine brings history to life with informative, lively and entertaining features written by the world's leading historians and journalists and is a captivating read for anyone who's interested in the past.

WELCOME JANUARY 2023

THIS ISSUE'S CONTRIBUTORS

ANNIVERSARIES • HELEN CARR highlights events that took place in January in history

THE CONVERSATION 2022: The historians' view • As the new year dawns, experts explain how episodes from the past can help us make sense of the upheavals of 2022 – from political and economic turbulence to war in Europe

HISTORY NEWS IN BRIEF

MICHAEL WOOD ON… • THE TIMELESS REALISM OF CHINESE POET DU FU

HIDDEN HISTORIES • KAVITA PURI explores lesser-known stories from our past

LETTERS

BBC History Magazine

WHEN BRITAIN SAID ‘OUI’ • Fifty years ago, the United Kingdom joined the European Economic Community after decades of debate and doubt – on both sides of the Channel. Alwyn Turner looks back at this key moment in the relationship between the UK and its continental neighbours

MAKING OUR MIND UP • THE UK'S EURO VISION IN EIGHT MOMENTS

Hell on high water • The golden age of piracy saw waves of rogue sailors terrorising the Atlantic world from 1670 to 1730. But what, asks Rebecca Simon, drove this period of maritime pillage and plunder?

WATERBORNE KILLERS: The Atlantic world's most notorious pirates

Britain's buried secrets • From the astonishing revelation of Palaeolithic cave art to the discovery of the birthplace of Elizabethan theatre, Susan Greaney introduces eight of Britain's greatest ever archaeological finds

Eat for victory • As the hardships of the Second World War began to bite, a new network of public dining rooms was established – the British Restaurant. Bryce Evans explores the story of these healthy, economical establishments, and the lessons they could teach us today

Q&A • A selection of historical conundrums answered by experts

DID YOU KNOW…?

ANIMAL ATTRACTION • How did a monkey come to float above London's suburbs, and Mount Vesuvius erupt just south of the Thames? Joanne Cormac reveals how the entertainments put on by Surrey Zoological Gardens reflected Britons’ growing taste for the exotic in the 19th century

Mavia of Tanukh Warrior queen of Arabia • EMRAN EL-BADAWI introduces an inspiring woman who defeated Romans and Goths, brought Christianity to her people and forged an independent Arab state

“The Armada was just hours away from successfully landing in England” • GEOFFREY PARKER tells Matt Elton about the new edition of his book on the 1588 clash between the forces of Elizabeth I and Philip II – and explains what the maritime encounter reveals about the leadership styles of the two rulers

Imperial exiles • CHARLOTTE ALSTON is engaged by a colourful portrait of elite émigré life in the French capital before and after the Russian Revolution

Brum beat • Natalie Marlow discusses Needless Alley, her detective noir novel set in interwar Birmingham

Fear and weakness • JOY PORTER applauds a powerful new book that emphasises Indigenous agency within the story of North American colonisation

Fight for might • JANE DRAYCOTT is intrigued by a novel look at the fall of the Roman republic, focusing on two pivotal players

THE CLASSIC BOOK • Christienna Fryar on a groundbreaking...